About PhD Program,
The Ph.D. in Spanish trains students to work in the academic fields of Latin American, Spanish, Hispanic, and Iberian literary and cultural studies. The program’s goals are to cultivate a dynamic and productive academic community engaged in high-quality original research (academic publications and dissertations) and to place its students in tenure-track positions in the US and abroad. The program revolves around a unique, dissertation-oriented curriculum designed to achieve specialization and a flexible course of study tailored to each student’s interests and background. In short, our program is based on the principle that a doctoral degree is not merely the fulfillment of a series of requirements, but moreover the successful writing and defense of a relevant dissertation that contributes to the student’s area of study and that successfully places the Ph.D. recipient in the field and in the academic job market.
Students are expected to complete a set of focused seminars during the first two years of residence at ND, begin working on a dissertation by the fifth semester if not before, present their work in at least two major academic conferences, publish at least one article in a peer-reviewed journal, and finish (defend) the dissertation by the end of the fifth year.
Graduate training for the Ph.D. program relies less on graduate seminars and more on closely supervised and independent research, mentoring, and collaborative intellectual endeavors to produce high-quality scholarship.
Students in the Ph.D. program in Spanish are free to enrich their areas of specialization through seminars in allied fields, such as literary theory, history, film studies, cultural anthropology, and national literatures, among others, thus connecting their work in Spanish and Latin American literary and cultural studies to methodological and analytical innovations in the broader humanities and social sciences. Their coursework and research will deliberately nurture expertise.
Students are usually exempt from teaching duties in the first and the fifth years of study (contingent on their satisfactory and measurable progress towards their degree). In addition, a student whose work is judged to be outstanding may be awarded a further semester free from teaching in order to complete a major research project, such as an article, or to focus exclusively on her or his dissertation.
PhD Program Degree Eligibility with GPA,
- 10 seminars (30 credits) in Spanish Section of the RL&L department.
- 1 seminar (3 credits) Introduction to Critical Theory.
- 1 course (3 credits) and practicum in Teaching Methods.
- 3 seminars in other fields or directed independent study
- 15 dissertation credits (writing the dissertation).
- Comprehensive Exam (after the first year).
- Defense of the dissertation proposal (by the fifth semester or earlier).
- Defense of the doctoral dissertation (by the end of the tenth semester or earlier).
PhD Funding Coverage,
Notre Dame stipends are competitive with those of other universities, and many students find the stipends even more attractive when the cost of living here is considered. Housing and other living costs in the South Bend area are below the average for urban areas throughout the country. Over half Notre Dame’s advanced students live in campus housing on or directly adjacent to the University.
Students admitted to Ph.D. programs are awarded a full five-year funding package that includes tuition remission, a competitive stipend, and health benefits. Students can apply for additional funding for research and conference travel. Many students also receive additional funding in the form of premium fellowships and other top-up funds.
Application Requirement,
- Curriculum vitae
- Statement of intent (maximum 750 words)
- Three letters of recommendation, at least two of which must be submitted by professors with whom the candidate has recently studied.
- Results of the GRE (optional)
- Results of the TOEFL or IELTS (non-English speakers).
- Two academic writing samples, one in English and one in Italian (maximum of 20 pages each).
Application Deadline,
Jan 15, 2025
Application Fee,
The application fee is $75.
